SOTA c74s01
Text Luna and Scrivener Blooms were in the dreamworld: physically, their bodies were in Canterlot, in a modified version of Twilight's healing bath, the waters black from the Prometheus Elixir that surprisingly, Celestia had insisted on adding to the mix. They were asleep, but Celestia was sitting nearby, keeping a close eye on them. It was the morning following the battle, and Ponyville and the surrounding area was nothing but a mess. There were reports of violence all across Celestia's barony, thanks to all the monsters that Thesis had dragged with him, then promptly abandoned once he'd gotten what he wanted. Everything was in chaos, and Celestia didn't have the strength to do much to stop it right now, leaving cleanup operations to Sleipnir and Morning Glory so she could concentrate on helping Scrivener and Luna recover first and foremost. But in the dreamworld, Scrivener and Luna felt strangely calm, like they had all the time in the universe. Possibly because they did, as they both sat in a dark, beautiful forest, where they gazed upon the body of Twilight Sparkle. She laid silent and unmoving inside a glass coffin on a raised dais, her eyes closed, her features peaceful. It was morbid, but beautiful... and in a way, reassuring. If Twilight had been truly gone, they wouldn't have been able to find any traces of her. For now, they were going to let her sleep. Her spirit had been devastated by the reapers, and would take... it was impossible to say. And neither Scrivener nor Luna wanted to admit it, but it was possible Twilight would never wake up, or even if she did, never able to sustain a physical body. But they were going to do everything they could to help her. And to punish Thesis for what he had done. Luna and Scrivener looked quietly at each other, then calmly turned around to look at the other residents in their mental world. Valthrudnir was standing calmly beside Nightmare Moon, the Jötnar seeming uncomfortable as he played with his bolo tie, while Nightmare Moon had her head bowed forwards and her eyes closed, silent and sorrowful. The two ponies studied these strange creatures they were now allied alongside for better or worse, and then Scrivener silently reached up a claw to take Luna's bladed hoof gently. Finally, Valthrudnir broke the silence as he cleared his throat, then laced his fingers together in front of himself, visibly fighting not to fidget or reach for his cards as he said quietly: “I believe your hypothesis is correct. Whether or not I find your intelligence appreciable... it's all too clear that the death entity was attempting to assist us. Thesis is using his homeworld as a base, one of the first layers that I conquered and destroyed. But... one, two thousand years... perhaps even more... have passed since that time, during which I have used that layer in particular as nothing but a waste dump and disposal site for old projects. I don't dare guess at what it may look like.” “We desire to rip him apart. But... we must be patient. We bow to your knowledge and wisdom, and will offer our strength and cunning to you, Lord Valthrudnir.” Nightmare Moon said in a gentle but honest voice, turning her gaze towards the dragon, who shifted a little and put a bit of distance between himself and the creature, before she asked almost hesitantly: “The strength of Thesis...” “The exoskeleton, yes. But I believe the damage to it, as well as abuse of it... it's adding to the psychosis that's taking him over.” Valthrudnir hesitated, then turned and calmly gestured with a hand, and a massive screen of ice rapidly grew upwards out of the ground in the darkness, the Jötnar simply gesturing towards this as images began to form over it. They displayed their memories of Thesis: his rage, the show of his emotions, the glimpses they'd caught of how the machinery had been bleeding as it had been pumping. The images froze, displaying a multitude of different images that all added up to showing one thing. That he was out of control, halfway between psychotic insanity and childlike tantrums. “The machinery that empowers Thesis... the design accelerates the flow of energy through his body as well as the concentration of corruption. This also naturally increases the output and stimulation of certain chemicals and glands... in simpler terms for you... ponies... he receives an immense adrenaline boost.” Luna and Scrivener traded grimaces at this, then looked back towards the images, Luna asking quietly: “So it is possible he has simply... lost connection with reality, then? That perhaps even this machine he continues to speak of, and being 'complete...'” “No, no, look, you stupid miniature horse.” Valthrudnir sounded almost irritable, but to be honest, Scrivener was glad for it: having the Jötnar try and be nice to them had been starting to get a little weird, and it was strangely reassuring to hear the dragon being his rude, superior self. “This... 'dementia,' for lack of a better term or willingness to spend hours trying to explain to your small minds anything more complicated, stems from certain visible emotional triggers as well as physical ones. His dementia clearly worsens when he activates the exoskeleton, and he becomes more violent and aggressive, but the same reaction also is clearly triggered by emotional agitation.” “When he gets mad he starts hurting people, we could have told you that.” Scrivener said dryly, and Valthrudnir glared at him balefully before the charcoal stallion sighed and asked finally: “But you think he's actually built... some kind of machine?” “Thesis is not... acting as he was programmed to, but unfortunately that is no reason to question his capability.” Valthrudnir replied quietly, shaking his head slowly before he glanced over at the screen of ice, then gestured moodily at it, and Scrivener and Luna both stared in surprise as the images of Thesis vanished and instead, pictures of strange machinery began to scrawl across the icy screen. Capsules, and massive tubes full of corruption, hooked up to all kinds of complex things neither pony understood... “Thesis likely has access to all variety of genetic modification equipment, including that which by I cloned and produced the Hexad homunculi. Our sole advantage is that even if he began genetic modification on himself the moment he returned to his home, this level of technology was purposefully designed to take time. I could not have what you call Clockwork Ponies modifying themselves as they pleased, after all.” Scrivener grunted, and Valthrudnir hesitated before he looked slowly between Luna and Scrivener, asking quietly: “But do you idiots yet understand that you cannot hope to defeat Thesis in a physical confrontation? And in spite of Thesis' best efforts to apparently seem as stupid and brash as any of you plebeians, he has all the same clearly kept much of his logical functions intact. Yes, his army showed little strategy and cunning in their direct assault, but they were clearly meaningless to Thesis' endgame, and his smother attack cost many lives and did a vast amount of damage to your home. Furthermore, I believe he expected you to surrender peacefully, not attempt to fight him.” “Yes... I agree.” Nightmare Moon said softly, shaking her head slowly. “He seems almost like a machine attempting to learn emotions. It is pathetic.” “It is.” Valthrudnir agreed in a mutter, and Scrivener and Luna both grimaced up at the Jötnar before silence fell for a few moments. They all regarded each other in it, studied one-another, and then Valthrudnir sighed tiredly and asked irritably: “Well?” “Right now, Luna and I both feel that if we had the chance, we'd gladly take another run at Thesis. We hurt him last time, Valthrudnir. Even if we're sure he'd kill us, we're also sure we can bring him down with us. And that's what matters to us right now.” Scrivener said quietly, squeezing Luna's hoof firmly as the sapphire mare closed her eyes and nodded. “Wonderful. Normally, I would wholeheartedly encourage you both to go and die, but unfortunately that plan also involves my demise as well, which I would prefer to avoid if at all possible.” Valthrudnir said distastefully, shaking his head slowly before he moodily reached up into dress jacket. Scrivener expected to see playing cards or some other toy... but a moment later, he could only stare in surprise along with the others as Valthrudnir calmly removed a glaring red eye from his jacket, that gazed almost hungrily down at Scrivener Blooms. “So instead, I find that I must suggest an alternate course of action I believe we all shall appreciate. Including the Valkyrie currently watching over you both with such concern.” Scrivener Blooms swallowed thickly as Luna shifted uneasily, both of them looking at the eye – no, the Kundalini – Valthrudnir was calmly holding up in his fingers, the dragon leaning down and saying evenly: “I cannot promise you success or power, or that I even know what will happen, Scrivener Blooms... but with the genetic data I took from the Grand Vizier, and a little help from another, better subject... you can reach what you ironically seem to think of as your own destiny, your own... 'completion.' The difference between you and Thesis will be that you will truly have become something new and refined and finished... and, I hope, something capable of controlling the power I find myself unfortunately being forced to thrust upon the insignificant mortal creature who dares consider me his worthy nemesis, instead of something far beyond his comprehension.” The stallion trembled for a moment, then traded a look with Luna, meeting her eyes, sharing thought and emotion and so much more in that moment as they squeezed claw and hoof together. They felt each other, how they wanted to scream both 'no' and 'yes' at the same time as loudly as they could, before the charcoal stallion finally looked up and whispered: “Will it just affect me?” “No. But I do not know what it will do to the Valkyrie. I only know that she will gain strength from it as well, restore that which has not yet been restored by Freya's meddling and the mire.” Valthrudnir replied calmly, and then the dragon squeezed the Kundalini in his fingers, hesitating visibly before he looked down at it and murmured: “Nihete... Scrivener Blooms... I am not offering this selflessly. I do not desire to imagine what Thesis' idea of completion is, or what he will become if allowed to experiment on himself as he likely has already begun to do. And I have another reason for helping you, that neither you nor I like.” Valthrudnir looked up, his amber eyes meeting Scrivener's chestnut before the Jötnar said quietly: “You are my greatest failure, and my greatest creation. You have survived my every attempt to destroy you, outwitted minds great and feeble and insane, become something I could never make myself. Now I find myself... desiring not to destroy you... but to aid you. To see what you will become if given that last push you need. To see if I can help make something capable of destroying what I dread to... to admit is... essentially myself.” There was silence for a few moments, and then Scrivener Blooms and Luna traded one last look, before they both looked up and nodded silently. Valthrudnir looked down at the Kundalini in his fingers, and then he nodded slowly in return before closing his eyes and saying quietly: “Then we are not going to waste our time like Thesis likely is, fiddling with genetics and machinery. Awaken and tell Freya to make preparations immediately. “We must leave as soon as possible for Decretum. We have a meeting with the Alpha Wyrm.” Top ↑